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Table of Contents Table of Contents Chapter 1 – Background ................................................................................................. 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Goals and Objectives .................................................................................................. 1 Planning Direction, Regulation, and Policy .................................................................. 2 Coordination with Other Plans ..................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2 – The Plan .................................................................................................... 11 Management Zones/Desired Conditions .................................................................... 11 Pristine Zone ......................................................................................................... 11 Primitive Zone ....................................................................................................... 12 Transition Zone ..................................................................................................... 16 Research Natural Area Zone ................................................................................. 16 Management Common to All Zones & Detailed Zone Specific Management ............. 21 Resource Conditions ............................................................................................. 21 Visitor Experience Conditions ................................................................................ 23 Administrative Conditions and Management Activities ........................................... 32 Mitigation Measures .................................................................................................. 41 Indicators and Standards for Visitor Experience and Resource Protection ................ 42 Chapter 3 – Resource Descriptions ............................................................................... 49 Wilderness ................................................................................................................ 49 Visitor Use and Experience ....................................................................................... 49 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Animal Species .......................................... 50 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plant Species ............................................. 53 Vegetation ................................................................................................................. 54 Soils .......................................................................................................................... 56 Floodplains ................................................................................................................ 61 Chapter 4 ...................................................................................................................... 61 List of Preparers ........................................................................................................ 61 References ................................................................................................................ 62 Glossary .................................................................................................................... 64 Maps Map A: General Location and Adjacent Land Ownership……………………………3 Map B: Area Covered by the Backcountry Plan………………………………………5 Map C: Recommended Wilderness …………………………………………………....9 Map D: General Management Plan Zones…………………………………………...13 Map E: Trails and Popular Routes…………………………………………………….17 Map F: Designated Backcountry Campsites…………………………………………19 Map G: Major Vegetation Complexes (North)………………………………………..57 Map G: Major Vegetation Complexes (South)……………………………………….59 Tables Table 1: VERP Survey Data 2002…………………………………………………….24 Table 2: VERP Survey Data 2003…………………………………………………….24 Table 3: Visitor Acceptance of Management Options for Slot Canyons………….24 Table 4: Visitor Acceptance of Management Options for the Narrows…………..25 Table 5: Day Use with Permit in Canyons…………………………………………...26 Table 6: Day Use with Permit in Canyons – Summary…………………………….26 Table 7: Day Use with Permit in Narrows…………………………………………..26 Table 8: Day Use with Permit in Narrows – Summary…………………………….26 Table 9: Overnight Backpacker Use…………………………………………………27 Table 10: Overnight Backpacker Use – Summary…………………………………27 Table 11: Canyoneering Day Use – Group Size Preference……………………..28 Table 12: Overnight Backpacker Use – Group Size Preference…………………28 Table 13: Use Limits…………………………………………………………………..28 Table 14: Resource Protection Indicators and Standards………………………...43 Table 15: Visitor Experience Indicators and Standards…………………………...48 Table 16: Visitor Use…………………………………………………………………..50 Table 17: Threatened and Endangered Animal Species………………………….50 Table 18: Threatened and Endangered Plant Species…………………………….53 Table 19: Sensitive Plant Species by Habitat……………………………………….53 Table 20: Major Vegetation Complexes within the Backcountry………………….55 Appendices Appendix A: Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) Appendix B: Leave No Trace Principles Appendix C: Minimum Requirement Analysis Worksheet and Instructions Appendix D: Zion National Park Legislation Appendix E: Commercial Use Analysis Appendix F: Floodplain Statement of Finding Appendix G: Campsite Monitoring Manual Appendix H: Trail Monitoring Manual Appendix I: U.S. Fish & Wildlife & Utah State Historic Preservation Office Consultation ii ACRONYMS ADA Americans with Disabilities Act BLM Bureau of Land Management BMP Backcountry Management Plan CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations FMP Fire Management Plan FMU Fire Management Unit GMP General Management Plan MOU Memorandum of Understanding NHPA National Historic Preservation Act NPS National Park Service NRHP National Register of Historic Places NWS National Weather Service UDWR Utah Division of Wildlife Resources USC United State Code USDI United States Department of the Interior USFWS United States Fish & Wildlife Service VERP Visitor Experience & Resource Protection ZION Zion National Park iii This page left intentionally blank. iv Chapter 1 – Background Introduction Zion National Park (ZION) is located on the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau (Map A). The 148,024 acre park lies in portions of three counties in Utah; Washington, Iron, and Kane. The park is approximately 300 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah; 105 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada; and 380 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Interstate 15, a major north- south thoroughfare, is located west of the park. The park is characterized by high plateaus, a maze of narrow, deep sandstone canyons, and striking rock towers and mesas. The lowest elevation in the park, 3,666 feet, is found at Coalpits Wash in the southwest corner. The highest elevation, 8,726 feet, is Horse Ranch Mountain in the Kolob Canyons section. The majority of the park is considered backcountry – almost 98 percent. And almost 90 percent of the park has been recommended as wilderness. Visitors experience the backcountry by day hiking on designated trails and cross-country routes; backpacking and camping; canyoneering; and climbing. In general, visitor use in the backcountry has increased over time. With increasing visitation it becomes more of a challenge for the National Park Service (NPS) to manage visitor use, provide a quality visitor experience, and protect park resources. This Backcountry Management Plan (BMP) provides the direction for the NPS to manage the 145,060 acres of backcountry within ZION. Backcountry within the park includes: recommended and potential wilderness; General Management Plan (GMP) Pristine, Primitive, Research Natural Area Zones and portions of the Transition Zone that overlay recommended wilderness; and any technical rock climbing areas regardless of where they occur in the park. For this document, these areas will be collectively referred to as the “backcountry” (Map B). This plan also provides direction for management of natural and cultural resources within the context of wilderness and backcountry management policies, with primary focus on visitor use and impacts to wilderness values and resources and administrative actions to mitigate associated impacts. This plan treats any proposed or recommended wilderness the same as officially designated wilderness, based on NPS Management Policies 2006 (6.3.1). Alternative management strategies were analyzed through an environmental assessment which culminated in a Finding of No Significant Impact which was signed on November 26, 2007 (Appendix A). Goals and Objectives Visitors traveling through the backcountry of ZION will have the opportunity for a variety of personal outdoor experiences, ranging from solitary to social. Visitors will be able to continue to experience the backcountry with as little influence from the modern world as possible. The visitor experience will relate intimately to the splendor of the wilderness resource of ZION. The goals and objectives for the management of backcountry and wilderness resources and values in ZION are as follows. 1 Goals for Backcountry Management Protect and preserve the park’s natural and cultural resources and values, and the integrity of the wilderness character for present and future generations. Provide for freedom of public use and enjoyment of the park’s backcountry in a manner that
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